In many cases, the end of the year gives you time to step back and take stock of the last 12 months. This is when many of us take a hard look at what worked and what did not, complete performance reviews, and formulate plans for the coming year. For me, it is all of those things plus a time when I u...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T* invested more than $825 million in its Washington, DC area wireless and wireline networks from 2010 through 2012, with a focus on expanding 4G LTE mobile Internet coverage and enhancing the overall performance of its networks.**

People in Washington, DC increasingly depend on mobile Internet connections for communication, entertainment and productivity at work, at home and everywhere in between. AT&T's continued investment is designed to deliver the highest levels of service, with network enhancements driving improvements in key areas of the mobile Internet experience: 4G speed, broad coverage and network reliability, according to J. Michael Schweder, President, AT&T Mid-Atlantic, who made the announcement at the DC Chamber's policy forum entitled "Digital City: Transforming DC into a Tech Capital."

AT&T's significant investment over the past three years is delivering customers a stronger network performance:

The AT&T wireless network recently ranked No. 1 in Washington, DC by RootMetrics®, an independent research and testing organization. AT&T was named the RootMetrics RootScore® Combined Award winner for its combination of call quality, text performance, and mobile Internet speed. The RootMetrics award is the result of more than 47,000 wireless test calls, texts and mobile Internet transmissions conducted during December 2012.

The AT&T network kept 99 percent of all Washington, DC-area wireless calls connected in the fourth quarter of 2012 (October through December).

"We know the mobile Internet has become central to our customers' lives, and we're committed to driving both investment and innovation to deliver the best possible experience over the AT&T network," said Rob Forsyth, AT&T vice president and general manager for the greater Washington, DC/Baltimore area. "While third-party and internal testing shows that these investments are paying off with excellent service for Washington, DC area customers, we are continually planning and deploying network enhancements to improve service in the future."

AT&T customers are benefiting from more than 950 wireless network upgrades in six key categories in Washington, DC during 2012, including activating new cell sites, adding capacity, upgrading cell sites to provide fast 4G LTE mobile Internet speeds, deploying high-capacity Ethernet connections to cell sites, and adding or upgrading Distributed Antenna Systems, which boost wireless coverage and capacity in buildings and at major venues like convention halls or sports arenas.

AT&T launched 4G LTE in the Washington, DC area in October 2011. AT&T 4G LTE is the latest generation of wireless network technology and provides faster mobile Internet speeds — up to 10 times faster than 3G — and improved performance on a variety of mobile smartphones and tablets.

The AT&T 4G LTE network has been nationally recognized for its speed and coverage. AT&T 4G LTE delivered faster average download speeds than any of the competitors in PCWorld's most recent 13-market speed tests, and telecommunications industry analyst firm Frost and Sullivan awarded AT&T its North American Mobile Network Strategy Award for the second year in a row in 2012.

"Broadband access is a priority in the District of Columbia, because it is such a powerful driver for economic development," said Barbara Lang, president and CEO, DC Chamber of Commerce. "This investment by AT&T to expand its mobile Internet network will help more people and businesses stay connected in today's fast-moving technological world and will help us achieve our vision of making the District of Columbia a high-tech hub."

"Across the Washington, DC area, this robust investment in the AT&T wireless and wireline networks is important to spurring the economy and creating jobs. In our wireless world, mobile and broadband networks create economic opportunities for health care, manufacturing, education, transportation and public safety and virtually every other economic sector. Our investments will help transform DC into a tech capital," said Schweder.

Also in 2012, AT&T completed the installation of a new 4G LTE-capable Distributed Antenna System (DAS) in several area arenas, airports, hospitals, hotels and office buildings. DAS, which consists of multiple strategically placed antennas that distribute AT&T's wireless network coverage throughout an area, has the ability to provide enhanced, more consistent wireless coverage to customers in indoor or outdoor spaces where geographical limitations – terrain, building construction, etc. – or crowd density might otherwise prevent the optimal wireless experience.

Planned Investment to Expand Reach of Wireless and Wired Broadband

AT&T recently launched Project Velocity IP (VIP), a three-year investment initiative to expand and enhance its wireless and wired IP broadband networks. As part of Project VIP, AT&T plans to increase the density of its wireless network by deploying more than 10,000 macro sites, more than 1,000 distributed antenna systems, and more than 40,000 small cells. Through this initiative, we also plan to:

Expand 4G LTE to cover more than 300 million people by year-end 2014

Expand the AT&T wired IP broadband network to cover approximately 75 percent of customer locations in our wired service area by year-end 2015

Expand the AT&T fiber network to reach 1 million additional business locations by year-end 2015

For more information about AT&T's coverage in Washington, DC or anywhere in the U.S., consumers can visit the AT&T Coverage Viewer. Using the online tool, AT&T customers can measure quality of coverage from a street address, intersection, ZIP code or even a landmark. For updates on the AT&T wireless network, please visit the AT&T network news page.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

**Limited 4G LTE availability in select markets. 4G speeds not available everywhere. LTE is a trademark of ETSI. Compatible device and data plan required. Up to 10x claim compares 4G LTE download speeds to industry average 3G download speeds. Learn more at att.com/network.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and internationally. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's largest 4G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T │DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT.

Information set forth in this press release contains financial estimates and other forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results might differ materially. A discussion of factors that may affect future results is contained in AT&T's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AT&T disclaims any obligation to update and revise statements contained in this news release based on new information or otherwise.

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